Matching and supporting strip for headliner panels



July 14, 1959 1.. E. STAHL 2,894,298

MATCHING AND SUPPORTING STRIP FOR HEADLINER PANELS Filed Dec. 26, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 TEE-.1 0 J0 2M2? a #M July 14, 1959 E. STAHL 2,894,293

I MATCHING AND SUPPORTING STRIP FOR HEADLINER PANELS Filed Dec. 26, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v b\ i8 4 '4 6'6 J4 J6 26 J6 INVENTOR.

( aw/m 6 FM United States Patent MATCHING AND SUPPORTING STRIP FOR HEADLINER, PANELS This invention relates to an improved panel-supporting strip.

An object is to provide such a strip which may be used to support automobile body head lining panels up against the roof of the body and to maintain such panels in aligned relationship.

A strip designed for the same purpose is illustrated in my copending application Serial No. 529,188, filed August 18, 1955, but now abandoned. The strip of this application functions in a similar manner to the strip disclosed in the earlier filed application and comprises, as does the strip of such earlier filed application, two cooperating strip sections. One section is a foundation or base section. The other section is a cap section. The improvements herein relate to the improvements in the foundation or base section.

A head lining assembly, which includes a strip of this application, also includes a series ofhead lining panels. The strips extend between the adjacent panels and engage the edges thereof and are supported at their ends upon the opposite sides of the body so asto hold the panels up against the roof of the body. The base or foundation strip is a male strip of somewhat the configuration of a railway rail in cross section. The edges of two adjacent panels are disposed on opposite sides of the web portion of this rail-like strip. The cooperating strip is a female strip in cross section and engages over the head of the male strip and has marginalportions which engage the two panels disposed on opposite sides of the. strip to hold them in place. This is true also of the strip of the copending application supra.

An object of the improved strip of this application is the provision of such a strip which has end portions that not only may be bent or flexed but such bending and flexing can be accomplished within the permitted limits without buckling of the base portion of the strip.

Another object is the provision of such a strip which has end portions wherein flexibility is provided by the provision of a plurality of kerfs extending transversely through the head portion and the web portion of the strip and which kerfs are so formed that the strip may be flexed throughout the end portion provided with the kerfs sutficiently to bring opposite edges of the kerfs at the top of the head portion together while leaving opposite edges of the kerfs throughout the web portion of the strip separate and spaced apart. A meritorious feature of this construction is that a kerfed end portion of the strip may be bent to a desired curvature and to a substantially rigid shape through contact of the edges of the kerfs at the top of the head portion while such end portion is always sufficiently flexible to readily permit such bending.

Another object is the provision of a strip of the character described wherein the extreme ends of the strip are bent upwardly out of the plane of the base of the strip to extendtherefrom in the same direction asthe web portion and which bent-up ends serve to engage and support the end margins of ceiling panels which are supported by the strip.

2,894,298 Patented July 14, 1959 ice Another object is the provision of a strip as hereinabove described which strip is provided on each side and on the underside of the head portion with a plurality of parallel spaced-apart abutments or ridges adapted to engage the cooperating cap strip so as to hold it securely in place upon the base strip to maintain the ceiling panels in place.

Other objects, advantages, and meritorious features will appear from the following description, claims and accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan of a fragment broken away of the base section of a strip embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the fragment of the strip shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a cross section through a portion of the roof of an automobile body taken along a transverse line showing an end fragment of the strip installed in place;

Fig. 5 is a plan of an end fragment of the strip such as is shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary cross sectional view through the strip shown in Fig. 3 and illustrating the same in use with the cap strip section secured thereto holding panels in position thereupon;

Fig. 7 is a fragment of an interior elevation of a portion of the ceiling of the vehicle body showing the improved strip of this application having panel sections associated therewith;

Fig. 8 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 8--8 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 7.

In my copending application supra, there is shown in cross section a view through a complete automobile roof illustrating the use of strips of the same general character as herein illustrated. In my copending application Serial No. 569,998, filed March 7, 1956, but now abandoned, there are shown several views illustrating the use of the strip. As illustrated in such applications, the head lining panels may extend transversely of the vehicle body underneath the roof with their end margins supported upon opposite side walls of the body. On the other hand, the head lining panels may extend fore and aft of the body underneath the roof with their end margins supported at opposite ends of the body. Figs. 7 and 8 illustrate the use of the strips with head lining panels and in such figures the numeral 20 indicates the conventional metal roof of an automobile body. The boxshaped member 22 is a frame or stringer member extending along the lower edge of the roof and above the upright side wall of the body. It may be separate from or integral with the roof itself. In Fig. 6 the metal roof is also indicated by the numeral 20. p

. The improved strip of this invention is a two-part strip as shown in Fig. 6 and has a foundation or base section, which isa male section, that is illustrated in cross section in Figs. 3 and 6. It is indicated by the numeral 24. Such base section is formed of resilient sheet metalsteel may be used-bent up into the shape illustrated in cross section in Figs. 3 and 6, into a cross sectional shape which generally resembles the cross sectional shape of the conventional railway rail. There are a head portion 26, a web portion 28, and a base portion 30. The head portion 26 surmounts the web portion 28 and overhangs the base portion 30. The base portion 30 is formed by the two flanges which are shown as bent outwardly away from the two side walls of the web portion 28. Forming this base section out of a strip of sheet metal provides a web portion which consists of two spaced side walls each of which has a flange 30. These two flanges form the base of the strip. The two side walls form the .vided with kerfs.

to such cap section per se in this application.

web of the strip. The head of the strip surmounts the web side walls and is integral therewith as shown. The ends of the base portion of the section are bent upwardly as at 32 and asshown in Fig. 8 the ends of ceiling panels 34 are seated upon the ends 32. In this instance the bent-up ends- 32 take the place of flanges or clips which are provided in my application Serial No. 529,188, to support the ceiling panels from the sidewalls of the body. Such ceiling panels asdescribed in such earlier application may be formed of Masonite and such Masonite sheets may be-perforated as there described.

The base or foundation section of the strip has its end portions provided with a plurality of spaced-apart transversely' extending kerfs 36. Such kerfs extend through the head and web portion only of the strip. They do not extend through the base flange portion. Such kerfs are provided for the purpose of increasing the flexibility of the end portions of the strip. As set out-more fully in the earlier filed application, the transverse contour ofv a roof of the conventional automobile body is on a very slight arc throughout its linear midscction. The curvature increases very markedly as it approaches the side walls and as shown in Figs. 4, 8, and 9. By providing the kerfs 36, the end portions of the strips may be readily flexed to conform with the curvature of the cove portions of the roof.

It will be noted that one margin of each kerf is so formed as to exhibit a projection 38 which extends toward the opposite margin of the kerf. When the strip is bent through a determined arc as shown in Fig. 4, these projections 38 abut the opposite edges of the kerf so as to form a substantially continuous strip along the top of the head portion of the strip. It will be noted, however, that the opposite edges of the kerf throughout the web side Walls and throughout the sides of the head portion are spaced apart as at 40 in Fig. 4. The end portions of the strip, therefore, are sufficiently flexible to bend without difliculty because of the clearances provided but when they are flexed to the point that the projections are in contact as shown in Fig. 4, such end portions are brought to a relatively rigid arcuate shape.

There is a certain variation in manufacturing dimensions of automobile bodies between the upper portions of the side walls. The ends of the strips shown have the Web and head portions flattened down adjacent the extreme ends as at 42. Such end portions may be provided with a slot as at 44 in Fig. 1 or a series of apertures 46 in Fig. so that an attaching screw 48 may be extended therethrough to secure the ends of the strip to the box frames 22 and to effect such securement even though there is some variation in width of the bodies. The bodies may vary in width half an inch or thereabouts. The screws .48 may be inserted into any of the openings 46. On .the other hand such screws have such a dimension that they may be inserted into the slot 44 and will cut their Way thereinto so as to support the strip against the roof of the body when the ends are fastened in place.

It will be observed that each base flange 30 is provided with a rib or beading 50 extending linearly thereof. It is particularly important that this bead be provided throughout the end portions of the strip section which are pro- It has been found that at times there is a tendency for the base flanges of the strips to buckle in line with a kerf upon the bending of the kerfed end portion of the strip. Provision of this bead 50 prevents such buckling. In addition the bead stiffens and reinforces the base flanges in a satisfactory manner.

As hereinabove stated the base or foundation section of the strip is provided with a cooperating cap section which is indicated by the numeral 52. No claim is made It is of conventional construction. It comprises in cross section two channels. One is an outer channel indicated by the numeral 54. The other is an inner channel indicated :by thenumeral 56. The inner channel 56 is adapted to be received as shown in Fig. 6 over the head 26 of the foundation strip. The inner channel is sufliciently resilient so that when its margins are engaged over the head of the base section of the strip it holds the margins of the outer channel 54 tightly against the Masonite panels 34 to hold them in place as illustrated in Fig. 6.

The head portion of the base strip is provided on opposite sides andon the lower side of the head portion 26 with a series of abutments, ribs or channels 58 which extend parallel to each other as shown particularly in Figs. 3 and 6. Three channels are shown in such figures on each underside of the head portion. The margins of the side walls of the inner channel 56 seat within one or the other of these cutouts and serve to increase the holding of the cap strip upon the head portion of the base strip and facilitate successful accommodation of the strip to panels varying somewhat in thickness.

In certain of, the figures such as 4, 6, 8 and 9, there is shown a sheet of insulating wadding 60 which may be adhesively secured to the underside of the roof but is held up thereagainst by the matching and supporting strips heretofore described in the Masonite panels. The extension of the strips on the panels as a ceiling assembly underneath the metal roof is such that throughout the fore and aft mid section of the roof, the strips hold the panels snugly up against the insulation sheet 60 and exert an upward tensioningagainst the roof tending to resist any downward deflection thereof. This is because the strips and panels are of such a length that when they are bowed, this engagement throughout the intermediate fore and aft line results. Throughout the cove portions, panels are shown as spaced from the roof as illustrated in Figs. 4, 8, and 9".

Figs. 8 and 9 also illustrate atrim strip 62 which is conventional, which extends along over the ends of the Masonite panels and the strips, and is normally held in place by screws 64 as illustrated in Fig. 8.

What I claim is:

I. A panel matching, reinforcing, and retaining strip having a configuration in cross section generally resemrbling a conventional railway rail and having a base part, a web part, and a head part surmounting the web part, and wherein said web part comprises two spaced side walls integrally connected at the top by the head part and wherein said side walls are provided at their bottoms with complementary flanges projecting outwardly substantially normal to the side walls, said flanges constituting said basepart', said strip being formed of resilient material and resistingly transversely flexible to a limited extent, the end portions of the strip being provided with a plurality of linearly spaced-apart transverse kerfs extending through the head part and the web part but not through the base part, thereby increasing the flexibility of the end portions of the strip, said lrerfs having a width through the side walls of the web part greater than the width through the top of the head part whereby determined transve'rse' flexing of an end portion of the strip brings theedges of the kerfs at the top of the head part together while the edges of the kerfs through the side walls of the web part are spaced'apart.

2'. A panel matching, reinforcing, and retaining strip having a configuration in. cross section generally resembling a conventional railway rail and having a base part, a web part, and a head part surmounting the web part, said web part provided with complementary flanges projecting outwardly substantially normal to the side walls spaced below the head part, said flanges constituting said base part, said strip being resistingly transverse? flexible to a limited extent, the end portions of the strip being provided with a plurality of linearly spaced-apart transverse, kerfs extending through the head part and the web part but'not through the base part, thereby in creasing the flexibility of the end portions of the strip, one edge portion of the top of certain of the head parts formed by said kerfs being provided with a projection extending toward but terminating short of the opposite edge of the adjacent head part reducing the width of the kerf at such point below the width of the remainder of the kerf.

3. A panel matching, reinforcing, and retaining strip comprising cooperating linear male and female sections: said male section being formed of sheet metal bent along linear spaced-apart lines into a configuration in cross section generally resembling a conventional railway rail having a base part, a Web part, and a head part surmounting the web part and overhanding the base part and spaced thereabove on opposite sides of the web part forming opposed complementary channels on opposite sides of the web part, said head part provided on the under portions of its opposite sides above the web part with a plurality of spaced-apart linearly extending abut- 6 ments, said cooperating female section being in the form in cross section of two channels, one channel being an inner channel and the other one being an outer channel and wherein the side Walls of the inner channel have their edges inturned to engage such abutments.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 793,353 Cook June 27, 1905 1,804,831 Hardesty May 12, 1931 2,149,08? Herold Feb. 28, 1939 2,149,742 Miller Mal". 7, 1939 2,240,502 Hall May 6, 1941 2,276,530 Weaver et al Mar. 17, 1942 2,442,726 Gstalder June 1, 1948 2,495,870 Soukup Jan. 31, 1950 

